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Excel Quick Guide

Accessibility Checklist for MS Excel

  • Create a meaningful title for your file and fill in other properties as needed
  • Give sheet tabs descriptive, unique names
  • Enter a sheet title in the first cell of each sheet
  • Create real tables for tabular data and designate headers
  • You can merge cells outside of a table, but avoid merging or splitting table cells
  • Use alignment tools to create space rather than blank rows or columns
  • Avoid using meaningful images except when supported by real text
  • Don't use color alone to convey meaning, and check your color contrast
  • Format cells and text for readability
  • Use descriptive, unique link text (and consistent link styles)
  • Mark the end of the worksheet
  • Hide unused columns and rows and consider defining your print area

Accessibility in Excel: Detailed Guidance

Note: the following guidance is written for desktop versions of Excel. Excel Online is missing some of the needed features to support accessibility.

​A meaningful title helps everyone correctly identify your Excel spreadsheet. This is particularly helpful for assistive technology users and people with cognitive or learning disabilities.

To add a title, or change an existing title, go to File, Info, and then find the Title field under Properties. Add your title here.

You can also add other properties here as needed, such as Subject and Author.

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Relevant Standard​s


Remove all blank sheets. All remaining sheets need clear, descriptive titles. Each sheet title should also be unique to avoid confusion.


Relevant Standards​​​


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​Use the first cell (first column, first row) in your sheet to announce the title of the sheet. If the sheet is a draft or confidential you can also add this information here. You can merge cells if this helps make the title information easier to read.​


Relevant Standards

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​Whenever possible, use headers with tabular data. This allows screen reader users to navigate tables with much greater ease. You can make column headers or row headers or both. You will also want to format tabular data with headers as true tables. This greatly improves screen reader interactions, as it causes table headers to be associated with table data cells.

Before you do this, first consider how you are using your Excel sheet. If you are continually making updates, it may be best to leave the content as a spreadsheet. However, if the sheet is ready to be shared with a larger group, or published, it's time to create true tables for any sections of tabular data with headings. Note that when you format a spreadsheet as a table, you will lose spreadsheet functionality. Therefore, it's best practice to save a copy of your spreadsheet, pre-formatting.

To create a table, select all the cells that contain relevant data, including all header cells. On the Home tab, select Format as Table. Then choose a style for your table. Note that not all choices have accessible color contrast, so choose carefully.

Check that the correct data is selected. In the Format as Table dialogue box, select the “My table has headers" checkbox. Then select OK.

Under the Table Design tab, in the Properties section, give your table a meaningful, unique name. Under Table Style Options, ensure that the correct boxes are checked to designate headers for your table. If your table has column headers, the 'Header Row' box must be checked. If your table has row headers, the 'First Column' box must be checked. If your table lacks either type of header, the corresponding box must be unchecked.

Note that you can also create a table under the Insert tab, by selecting Table.

Also note that headings should be kept relatively concise; headings are read by a screen reader each time the user navigates to a new cell. Hearing long headings repeatedly can be tedious.


Relevant Standards


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​Screen readers will typically announce when cells have been merged and/or provide context clues (row and column numbers) when this has happened. Therefore, merging cells outside of a table for formatting purposes is ok. This is unlikely to confuse users.

However, inside a table, assistive technology needs data cells to be clearly associated with header cells. When you merge or split table cells, it results in an irregular table. Irregular tables are difficult for assistive technology to interpret correctly. Therefore, you should avoid merging or splitting cells inside a table, including in the header row.


Relevant Standards


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​Rows or columns of blank cells inside a spreadsheet can be confusing for screen reader users. To create space, use the alignment tools in Excel. Under the Home tab, use the tools in the Alignment region to adjust spacing in a cell or group of cells. You may want to expand this region to access a greater variety of tools, such as indent settings.​​

​You can add alt text to meaningful images in Excel. However, it won't be consistently read by screen readers. Therefore, any information conveyed by an image in an Excel sheet must also be included as real text in a cell. For data visualizations, this means creating an accompanying data table. If your document relies heavily on images and visualizations, consider using a different platform to create your content such as Word, or InDesign.


Relevant Standards

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​You can use visual characteristics, like color, to reinforce meaning. But they should always be supplemented by real text conveying the same meaning. This ensures that all readers can access the information, including colorblind readers, reflow users, magnification software users, and screen reader users.

Also note that content must meet minimum color contrast thresholds. Strong color contrast is intended to improve the accessibility of content for readers with low vision, color blindness, and visual processing disabilities. All text items must meet these thresholds. Some non-text items must meet them, as well.

According to WCAG, regular-sized text must have a contrast ratio of 4:5 to 1. Large-scale text must have a contrast ratio of 3 to 1. Note that large-scale text is defined as “at least 18 point or 14 point bold or font size."

WCAG also requires 3 to 1 color contrast for non-text components. This includes user interface components, like buttons and form field borders. It also includes graphical objects, where the parts of the graphic are important to the meaning. See WCAG 1.4.11 – Non-text Contrast for more information on color contrast for non-text items.

Use a reliable tool to test color contrast. A good tool for testing color contrast on both websites and in documents is the free TPGi Color Contrast Analyzer.


Relevant Standards


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​Formatting cells and text for readability helps all users, but particularly users with low vision, visual processing disabilities, and cognitive disabilities more generally. Use a minimum of 12 pt font size in a simple, sans serif font (such as Arial or Verdana). Avoid spacing cells too closely to improve readability. Use Word Wrap as needed. Whenever possible, avoid text that overflows, or is hidden by, cell margins.​​

​Descriptive link text helps all readers understand where links go. This is particularly important for assistive technology users, as well as people with cognitive and learning disabilities. In addition, this practice aids screen reader users. These users may encounter link text out of context (in a links list) and need clear information about the destination of each link. Furthermore, links should be unique and they should be clearly and consistently styled to avoid confusion.

When creating a link, choose text that clearly describes the destination of that link. Your link text should be short – in most cases, six or fewer words will suffice. But a reader must know, with relative precision, where a link will take them. Ask yourself: if all the other text on the page were removed, would I know where this link takes me?

Because users will almost always consume excel sheets on a device rather than printing them, it's best to use embedded links in this format. To do this, highlight the link text, right click, and go to link. Then paste the URL in the address field and click 'Ok.'

You should also avoid using repetitive link text. Document authors will sometimes use the link text “Click here" or “Read more" multiple times in a document. This link text is not descriptive, and it is also repetitive. Two links in a document must not have the same link text, unless the two links share the same destination. (In the first example above, the link text should tell readers where they will go if they click on the link; in the second example, the link should tell readers what they can read more about.)

Furthermore, if your link opens a document, it is good practice to list the document format in parentheses or brackets after the link text. For example, “Accessibility Policy (pdf)." This alerts readers that clicking the link will open a documen​t and prepares them for the type of document that will open.

Finally, the visual styling of links should be conventional and consistent. As a matter of convention, links are usually indicated with an underline. To avoid confusion, reserve underlines for links, not for emphasis. Links should also be a different color from surrounding text to support findability. This color must meet minimum color contrast thresholds. Note that the predefined link style in PCS templates meets color contrast thresholds.


Relevant Standards


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​Marking the end of the worksheet lets assistive tech users know that they have reached the end of the content area. Type “End of worksheet" in the row immediately following the last row of your sheet.​

​Hiding unused columns and rows helps keyboard users avoid getting lost in blank cells. To hide unused columns, select the first unused column by clicking on the column header cell. Use Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow to select all columns to the right of this. Right click on the selected area and choose 'Hide.' To hide unused rows, select the first unused row by clicking on the row header cell. Use Ctrl + Shift + Down Arrow to select all columns below this. Right click on the selected area and choose 'Hide.'

Note that you can unhide rows and columns easily if you need to add more content.

You should also consider defining your print area. This can create clearly defined borders around your active sheet area. These are helpful for users with low vision and others. To do this, highlight all cells with entries, including titles and headers. On the Page Layout tab, select Print area (Alt + P + R). Choose Set Print Area.

If you need to remove a print area, open Print Area menu and choose Clear Print Area (Alt + P + R +C).​​